A study of luminescence properties in the boron-doped lead tungstate

The present work is focused on the enhancement of luminescence in PbWO4 by boron (B) ions doping. A series of boron-doped PbWO4 polycrystals were synthesized by solid-state reaction in air atmosphere. The crystal structure of PbWO4 was decided from powder X-ray diffraction data. The X-ray excited luminescence, UV excitation and emission spectra measurements were conducted on these samples under the same conditions to evaluate the doping effects of luminescence on PbWO4. The B-doped PbWO4 gave an enhanced broad emission band centered between 420 and 520 nm depending on different doping concentration. Another scintillating crystal, Bi4Ge3O12, was also introduced to compare the effects of luminescence with B-doped PbWO4. The doping mechanism of B ions in the PbWO4 lattices was briefly discussed according to the present experimental results.